President Obama’s speech to school children earlier this week was Right on point. Now, it’s time to see if he’s Left something to Congress on Wednesday.
Many people on the right criticized President Barack Obama and the Department of Education for planning a speech that he was to give to school children the Tuesday after Labor Day. The speech, designed to inspire students to study hard and dedicate themselves to excellence, sparked a controversy that eventually included the children of many conservatives to stay home and miss 6 hours of school in order to miss the president’s 15-minute speech.
Sounds like a drastic move, one that these conservatives probably regret. After all, they probably would not have kept their children home if they would have known that Obama would participate in “Take a Republican to School for a Day” on such a public stage.
The very conservative message that the president gave to the students of America (minus the children of conservatives whose parents were, it seems, unwilling to match their years of parental influence against 15 minutes from a man hundreds of miles away) will not be matched in Wednesday’s address to Congress, in all likelihood. Just as America gained traction in the right direction with the president delivering such a direct and needed message to America’s youth on Tuesday with a touch of conservatism, America may head south if the Obama compass points left again as he discusses his newest vision for health care reform.
Everything from the recent Van Jones controversy to the health care forums around the country has been making one thing very clear: America is not receptive of a hard shift to the left politically, particularly in regards to policies that impact economics. That includes a government overhaul of the health care system, particularly the universal health care option.
Bounced between the sense of betrayal coming from the extreme left and the growing slippage on his tie with independents and moderates that voted for him in 2008, Obama may be forced to negotiate a compromise. He will need to please a large enough swath from each section of supporters so his directive can improve American health care (something that is certainly needed) without disappointing either side of support to a point of continuing losses in the polls.
Whether the left likes it or not, that victory for health care improvements will only come with a more conservative-leaning Obama, a compromise reflecting his pragmatic side more than his “progressive” side. Health care “reform” will not be a reality this year, but if we view health care improvement as the actual goal versus mere victory over the right, we can move forward.
If so, President Obama may continue to add a little shade of red to his administration, even if it keeps trying to cling to a blue state of mind – a mindset that also keeps them blue as the polls continue to drop.
Lenny McAllister is the author of a new book, “Diary of a Mad Black PYC (Proud Young Conservative),” available online at
